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- [00:00]
A
This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2474 Classic and Common British Slang with Anna Tyree. Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast. Downloaded more than 200 million times. We believe in connection, not perfection, with your American host, Lindsey McMahon and today's featured guest coming to you from Denver, Colorado, usa. And to get your transcripts delivered by email every week, go to allearsenglish.com subscribe have you ever wondered how to connect with someone in British English but wanted to get away from fancy textbook language? Today, our guest, Anna shares four British slang phrases that will help you in your next English conversation. When it comes to your English conversation skills, do you feel like you have the basics of grammar and vocabulary, but you're not sure how to express nuance or abstract concepts? These are core pieces of human connection and essential to your English success in business and life. And this is only part of what you learn in our C1 English Fluency course. Save up to $100 off the normal price this week only and get our new AI conversation guides. For unlimited speaking practice, go to allearsenglish.com C1 and one more time, that's allearsenglish.com C1. The offer ends September 14th at midnight. That's allearsenglish.com LetterC number one. Hello, Anna. Welcome to All Ears English. How are you today? Welcome back to All Ears English. I think you've been on the show a few times in the past. How are you?
- [02:06]
B
I'm good. It's a pleasure to be back with you, Lindsay. Thank you for having me.
- [02:11]
A
Absolutely. We always have fun collaborating together and I think a lot of our listeners already know you and some listeners will be excited to learn about you. So I'm going to take just a minute to read your bio for our audience. So, listeners, today I have Anna Tyree. Is that the correct pronunciation?
- [02:28]
B
Tyree, like diary.
- [02:29]
A
But I remembered when you told me last time the diary. So Anna here is here on the show. Anna is a British pronunciation coach, an English teacher and the founder of English Like a Native. Through her courses YouTube channel and popular podcast, she guides adult learners to achieve English fluency and and to speak with confidence one more time. Glad you're here, Anna.
- [02:53]
B
Thank you. Glad to be here.
- [02:55]
A
Yeah. So today we're getting into a very important topic which I think still eludes a lot of our listeners at the B1, B2 level, which is slang. And more specifically today, we're going to look at some classic and common British slang. Anna, where are you from? Where are you based in the world.
- [03:15]
B
Okay, I'm from England. I was born in the north of England. But slowly over my life I've moved further and further south and now I am just outside of London, which I'm sure many people listening will know where London is. So that's where I am. I'm in the south of England.
- [03:32]
A
Yeah, I was, I was just in London last, well, two months ago in May for the podcast conference. So I really enjoyed getting to know the city. And do you enjoy living in the city of London or just outside the city?
- [03:45]
B
It's a double edged sword, Lindsay. I love the convenience and the opportunity and the energy that the city brings. But then it also comes with a high price tag. It comes with pollution and just having to queue for everything, having to deal with people everywhere all the time. And sometimes I feel the need to escape, go out to the country and get some fresh air, you know.
- [04:12]
A
Yeah, that's totally understandable. And that leads to a question that maybe we'll have to have you on another time to talk about specific slang just in London. I mean, I'm sure there are words that are just used in the city of London, but we'll talk about that another day. Let's get into today's topic, which is, like I said, the classic and common British slang. So today you are going to show us, I believe, four different pieces of British slang that our listeners should know. But first, Anna, what why should we care about slang? Why should we try to learn slang and use slang?
- [04:44]
B
Well, it's a really good question, Lindsay. Slang is kind of the language that's used in the day to day. It's what many native speakers will use in general chit chat and conversation. And it's not completely informal either. Although you think about slang as being quite an informal language that you would only use with your close friends. When in fact slang can be used when talking to tradesmen, when in a conversation with someone at work. You know, it's not perhaps what you'd put in an official email as a business to a customer, but it's definitely used more often than maybe people think. So it's quite important for that kind of natural flow to feel authentic and for also for learners not to feel completely lost when they have learned the textbook English and then they are faced with a native throwing slang phrases at them. Yes, they might feel lost if they don't know what's being said, you know, Absolutely.
- [05:47]
A
And very demotivating to have spent a lot of time learning English and then all these other words come at us and we Just we're not able to connect. So it sounds like what you're saying is it is the root of connection, right? It is the way to get it. Whether that's in the in the business spoken business world or informal at parties, socializing. Okay, you just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday. So how can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed. When it comes to hiring, Indeed is all you need. Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. Indeed sponsored Jobs helps you stand out and hire fast. With Sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster and it makes a huge difference. According to Indeed data, Sponsored Jobs posted directly on indeed have 45% more applications than non sponsored jobs. I love that Indeed makes hiring fast. Top candidates are in high demand and if you want to build a great team, you need to move quickly. Indeed helps you do that. So just how fast is Indeed? Well, in the minute that I've been Talking to you, 23 hires were made on Indeed according to Indeed data worldwide. There's no need to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of this show will get a 75 sponsored job credit. To get your jobs more visibility@ Indeed.com a e e just go to Indeed.com a right now and support our show by saying that you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com a e e that's I n--e dashed.com aee Terms and conditions do apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Let's get into the ones that you've chosen to present to our audience today. What would be the first one that we can teach our audience today on the show?
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B
Okay, so I'm going to start with quite a long phrase, and there's a few things in this phrase that I want to highlight. And it is to pop the kettle on and have a brew. To pop the kettle on and have a brew. So I might say to you, hey, Lindsay, come on in. I'm just going to pop the kettle on and have a brew. Would you like one?
- [08:15]
A
Absolutely I would. How. How should I respond to that? In very typical British slang, I just. Yes, right. I will come.
- [08:21]
B
Oh, I love a brew. I'm. I'm spitting feathers. There's an idiom that you might use, I'm sp. Spitting feathers, which means I'm very thirsty.
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A
So funny. It's so funny how many unique British slang terms. I mean, as a native English speaker from the US I've Never heard of them. Right. And that's one of them. So to pop the kettle on and have a brew. Yeah, so, so does this, what does this point to, this slang? Is it the importance of tea, is it socializing? What is the value in British culture that this slang points to?
- [08:54]
B
Well, brew is, is a really common term in the UK because we are a nation of tea lovers and the way we drink our tea is quite specific. I believe we have English breakfast tea with milk, sometimes sugar, not really with lemon. I know in different countries tea is taken in different ways, but we tend to have milk, sometimes sugar. Not me, because I, I'm very careful with my sugar intake. Oh, yeah, sure. But brew is very specifically for tea, not for any other hot drink as well. So that's a really important point to, to take on board that if someone offers you a brew, would you like a brew? I'm just boiling the kettle. Then, you know, they're not offering you coffee, they're offering you tea. So if you're not a tea drinker, you might say, oh, do you have any coffee actually? And they might have some in the, in the cupboard.
- [09:48]
A
Is that, is that acceptable to ask for that? To ask for coffee when you're invited for tea? Now we're really getting into culture here.
- [09:55]
B
Absolutely. I think as long as you approach everything with an air of kindness and you know, your polite phrases, not being expectant or too blunt, then everything is acceptable.
- [10:08]
A
Got it. And when during the day is the most common? So this would be said in the morning, the afternoon, the evening, when are we most likely, Is it afternoon tea typically that people are invited to or.
- [10:20]
B
It really depends. The morning brew is quite important for many people, although I know that as a culture where we are shifting more towards coffee in the morning.
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A
Oh, really?
- [10:33]
B
Like we've normally been a tea drinking nation from morning till night, but we tend to follow you guys in the States slowly, about five or ten years later, whatever kind of is trending in America tends to slowly come over here. And I've definitely seen a shift in the last decade away from tea in the morning to having coffee in the morning.
- [10:58]
A
Interesting.
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B
But yeah, we drink tea all day long. I mean, afternoon tea is quite a specific thing as well. And that comes with, if you go for a traditional afternoon tea that comes with cake and sandwiches, it's a whole thing.
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A
Yes, I've heard of that. They call it high tea. Right. Or is that just the tourist tea?
- [11:16]
B
Well, high tea is. Yeah, that's, that's one way of referring to it. But afternoon Tea. If you've booked an afternoon tea, then you can do that in many different places. But can I point to something else in this phrase? It's the word pop to pop. Now, we use this all the time. So pop often replaces the verbs go and put. So if it's replacing go, for example, I'd say, I'm just popping to the shops. Do you need anything?
- [11:45]
A
Yes. I'm so glad you highlighted that, Anna. That is a very uniquely British verb and way of using that verb. I hear that a lot on. When I watch British sitcoms or on movies. It's really interesting. So the other ways we use it, you said, are to go somewhere.
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B
Yeah, for going somewhere, or to. Or replacing put. So I might say pop this jacket on and see if it fits. Or I just need to pop the cakes into the oven and then I can relax.
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A
So put on or put in.
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B
Yeah, go. Awesome. And it just means to do it quickly. That's the. The idea. To pop. If I'm popping to the shops, then I would expect to be back within a few minutes. Like, if it's the corner shop, I would expect to be home in 10 minutes if my partner were to say to me, hey, I'm just popping out. I'll be back soon. Or I'm just popping to the shop, then if he's not home in 10 minutes, I'm going to be phoning him, going, where on earth are you? I thought you said you were popping to the shop.
- [12:47]
A
Okay, so it's a very specific verb. It means something very specific. You'll be right back, or this thing is going to happen quickly and easily. Interesting. That's very uniquely British. We do not use that. I mean, we know the verb, but in American English. But we definitely don't. Don't use it in that way. So I love it. Okay, all right, excellent. Let's move on to the next one. Anna, what's the next one you'd like to share today?
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B
Okay, this is a fun one. I like this one a lot. And it is to faff. Now, to faff. F. A f. F can also be a phrasal verb. Faff about or faff around or simply faff. Now, faff on its own means to do well either way as a phrasal verb or simply as a verb. It means to do lots of things, to be busy with something.
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A
Okay.
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B
But that's ineffective, so you're not achieving anything. You don't want to be someone who's faffing around. If you want to get things done for Example, if you are in an emergency situation and you phone the emergency operator and they're faffing around on the other end trying to find their pen to record your emergency or faffing around doing something else while taking your call, that's not going to be ideal because you need them to be focused and they're not going to achieve anything and they're wasting time. Right, so, to faff. Do you faff, Lindsay, ever?
- [14:12]
A
Oh, yes. I was gonna ask you this. When it comes to running a business and having a big email inbox, I feel like I'm often faffing around. Right. It's one thing I need to do, I start that thing and then, ding, here comes another thing I need to do and I start that thing and I'm. I'm faffing around quite a bit. Quite a bit.
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B
Easily distracted.
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A
Easily distracted, yes. What about you? Is there any aspect of your life where you find yourself faffing? Is it faffing about or faffing around? Faffing both.
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B
You can use both. And there's no. As far as I understand, there's no real difference. They're completely interchangeable. If you. Well, for me, I'm very busy all the time. I struggle to sit still. I like to feel like I'm being productive. So sitting. Sometimes I'll find myself with 10 minutes to spare and maybe in those 10 minutes before I have to do the next thing, maybe picking up the children from school and maybe at work, I can't achieve anything in 10 minutes. So I start. Here's another phrasal verb. I start pottering about.
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A
Oh, that's. That's another unique one.
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B
That's a good one. Moving around the house looking for some faff. That's not the right way to use it, but looking to faff about. And I might start moving a few things around, maybe doing a little dusting, but not a full job and just looking through some paperwork, just faffing about. My partner often gives me a hard time when we're trying to leave the house. Now he says that what I'm doing is faffing around while he's waiting outside, saying, come on, we need to go.
- [15:45]
A
Ah, yes, but what are you doing? You're preparing, getting ready.
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B
I think what I'm doing is very important. I'm going through the. The checklist. Do we have the sun cream, the hats, the coats? Do we have snacks? Very important when you've got kids. Have we filled up the water bottles or do I need a. A spare set of clothes? Just in case, like, for me, that's not faffing. But he says I'm faffing.
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A
And how two people could see the world so differently. Right. That he would see that as faffing. Fascinating. I love that. It reminds me of my parents when I was growing up. It was the same thing. My mom would take ages to leave the house and. And my dad was always in the car ready to go, and we were in the car with him. And we're all like, what is she doing? But it's often the mom who is really there making sure all that, you know, the. The T's are dotted. T's are crossed and the eyes are dotted. Right? Yeah.
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B
Yeah, she is. The oil in the machine keeps everything running smoothly.
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A
I love it. I love it. So faff about. There's. That is very uniquely a British phrase. All right, what would be the next one? Anna? Let's move on.
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B
Okay. So if. So, this is. Again, this is an adjective, and it is to call something a bit naff. So, like faff, but with an n, a bit naff. Have you heard this phrase before?
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A
Yes, this one I've heard, but I wouldn't know what it means or how to use it.
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B
So, okay, so it means that something is basically poor quality or not very good. So I might describe a film as being a bit naff, or a party could be naff. Or perhaps if you buy a remote control car for your nephew for a birthday and you say, was it okay? It was on offer. I'm not sure. I didn't spend much money. Was it okay? And they might respond with, I'm sorry, it was a good idea, but it was actually a bit naff. It broke quite quickly or it doesn't run for very long before the batteries run out. It's a bit naff.
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A
I see. So something that's kind of low quality, either physically low quality or just not, not good, not good enough, doesn't meet your expectations.
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B
Yeah, yeah. Like, I really enjoyed the Time Traveler's Wife. The story. The Time Traveler's Wife. I. I read the book and I don't know if it's because I read the book first, but once I read the book and loved it. When I saw the film, I was disappointed. I. I thought the film was a bit naff. It didn't tell the story in the way I had hoped it would.
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A
I think there's very few movies that are as good as their counterpart as their books. Do you think? I can't think of very many at all. Usually it's A disappointment.
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B
The Lord of the Rings, I felt, did a good job. But there was a lot cut out, of course, because the books were so long, but the films were epic. But I think generally it's. We're going off on a tangent here, but I think generally it's because your experience of the book is your own mind and imagination, whereas a film is someone else's vision, which is kind of.
- [18:50]
A
More fun to make up your own ideas of how this person looks and what happens. I think there's a sense of disappointment when it's put into a film and a director has decided that's what this person looks like. That's what happens here. Fascinating. So a bit naff. Good to know. And then the last one, I also have heard it, but I'd like to know more.
- [19:08]
B
Okay, so the last one is to be gobsmacked. Gobsmacked.
- [19:14]
A
That is a big word.
- [19:15]
B
It is a big word and it's a great word. In the uk, the word gob, if you've heard that on its own, is also slang for mouth. Interestingly, I would think that the word gob is actually quite crass. Not a swear word in any way, but a bit crass. I wouldn't say gob. I wouldn't say, you know, I mean, I wouldn't say shut your mouth anyway. It's not a nice thing to say to someone, but I certainly wouldn't say shut your gob. You know, I might say to my children, shut your mouth while you're. While you're eating. I don't want to see your food. Never use the word gob. However, the word gobsmacked doesn't feel the same. It doesn't feel bad or crass in any way. Gobsmacked. It's if. If gob is mouth, I always think of gobsmacked being that reaction when something shocks you. You open your mouth and you cover it with your palm and go, oh, right. So it's almost like you're smacking yourself in the mouth in that reaction where you cover an open mouth, which I don't understand as a human reaction.
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A
Right.
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B
We open our mouth in shock and then cover it.
- [20:23]
A
I don't know. Great question. So what kinds of things would we say? This. What kinds of moments would we use.
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B
This then anytime that you are, like, really shocked, and this could be positive or negative. So it could be shocked at winning the lottery or shocked at being picked for the team or passing your exam, or it could be shocked at hearing the news of someone passing away or Shocked at the latest football results or, you know, shocked when someone misses a penalty.
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A
Got it. And then would you say, I'm gobsmacked right now? Would you say that or would you say that about someone else? Is it more, you know, directed?
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B
Both. I. I think if someone asks you how you're feeling about something, then you could just say, I'm gobsmacked. And yeah, for me as well, if I say to someone I'm gobsmacked, it's like I'm saying, I don't have the words. I'm. I'm gobsmacked. I don't know what to say. I'm gobsmacked. I am so utterly shocked. I have no other words because I'm gobsmacked. I can't talk, my mouth has been smacked. I'm gobsmacked.
- [21:32]
A
I like it. It's very visual, it's very clear. I think in American English we might say, I'm stunned. Right. Something like that. I'm stunned. I'm astounded. But we don't have. I don't think we really have an idiom to express that in such a fun way. So I appreciate that about British English.
- [21:48]
B
It is. It's very strong. Very strong.
- [21:50]
A
Wonderful. This has been great. Thank you for these four idioms or expressions or pieces of slang. Anna, do any final piece of pieces of advice for our listeners on how to actually learn slang. Any piece of wisdom you can give us here.
- [22:05]
B
I think always with any kind of language learning is the more exposure you can get, the faster and the more. The faster you'll learn and the more output you'll achieve. Your brain is an incredible piece of kit. And even if you don't actively sit there writing lists and looking at the language just by exposure, you can pick up a lot more than you realise. And so with things like slang and kind of common use language, I would say make sure you're getting enough exposure, whether through dramas. For British English, you might want to look at soap operas. They might be a little bit, you know, it's not everyone's cup of tea, but soap operas do contain lots of slang and lots of common use language, and sitcoms as well. If you can make an effort to add that to your general list of exposure to the language, then you're going to be on the right track.
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A
Excellent. A lot of content out there. And now with the Internet, there's so much that we could. Could consume, including Netflix and all these other ways to find great series. Right. Local information, local slang. I love it. Anna, where can our listeners find you online? Tell us a little bit more about your podcast.
- [23:25]
B
Yeah, so with my podcast we actually cover a lot of vocabulary. My aim is to introduce as much vocabulary in a fun way as possible. And we stream five days of the working week. So whatever platform you normally stream from, if you just look for the English like a native podcast, then you should find me. I'm also on YouTube.
- [23:49]
A
Excellent. Well, thank you for being on the show today. Hope to have you back again very soon for another collaboration together.
- [23:55]
B
All right, please.
- [23:56]
A
Thank you, Anna. Take care. Bye.
- [23:58]
B
Thank you. Bye.
- [24:03]
A
Thanks for listening To All Ears English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz. Go to all ears english.com forward/fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time. That's the sound of the fully electric Audi Q6E Tron and the quiet confidence of ultra smooth handling. The elevated interior reminds you this is more more than an ev. This is electric. Performance redefined. And Doug Limu and I always tell you to customize your car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. But now we want you to feel it. Cue the emu music. Limu. Save yourself money today. Increase your wealth. Customize and save. We save. That may have been too much feeling. Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com.
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B
Savings.
- [25:11]
A
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- [25:13]
B
Excludes Massachusetts.